Eating to cure my acid reflux without medication left me eating virtually nothing. No eggs, dairy, wheat, coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar -- you know, all the good things in life.

I'm so sorry to see that. Has this food-less diet helped the acid reflux?

Absolutely. It seems the older I get the more triggers I have. I'm starting to incorporate most of those things back into my diet now, except for the coffee, tea, and extra sugar. Dairy is a moderation thing. Wheat is...not quite sure yet. But I probably won't eat eggs again for a really really long time. Or ever. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. Three months of vegetables and starches and some fish and chicken. Still can't do spicy foods, not even black pepper, but since I was never a fan of spice it's not a big loss. Although, I miss me some curry.

Eating to cure my acid reflux without medication left me eating virtually nothing. No eggs, dairy, wheat, coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar -- you know, all the good things in life.

I'm so sorry to see that. Has this food-less diet helped the acid reflux?

Absolutely. It seems the older I get the more triggers I have. I'm starting to incorporate most of those things back into my diet now, except for the coffee, tea, and extra sugar. Dairy is a moderation thing. Wheat is...not quite sure yet. But I probably won't eat eggs again for a really really long time. Or ever. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. Three months of vegetables and starches and some fish and chicken. Still can't do spicy foods, not even black pepper, but since I was never a fan of spice it's not a big loss. Although, I miss me some curry.

It's a shame that many of the things you love are now taboo, but I'm a proponent of self-discipline, that that kind of self-denial has positive spillover effects in other parts of your life, so hopefully it's also made you stronger in other ways (besides just weight loss).

Eating to cure my acid reflux without medication left me eating virtually nothing. No eggs, dairy, wheat, coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar -- you know, all the good things in life.

I'm so sorry to see that. Has this food-less diet helped the acid reflux?

Absolutely. It seems the older I get the more triggers I have. I'm starting to incorporate most of those things back into my diet now, except for the coffee, tea, and extra sugar. Dairy is a moderation thing. Wheat is...not quite sure yet. But I probably won't eat eggs again for a really really long time. Or ever. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. Three months of vegetables and starches and some fish and chicken. Still can't do spicy foods, not even black pepper, but since I was never a fan of spice it's not a big loss. Although, I miss me some curry.

It's a shame that many of the things you love are now taboo, but I'm a proponent of self-discipline, that that kind of self-denial has positive spillover effects in other parts of your life, so hopefully it's also made you stronger in other ways (besides just weight loss).

I've always been freakishly self-disciplined -- a trait I must have inherited from my father -- but you're right. It taught me a few things about my mind and body that I didn't understand before, mostly because I've been skinny my whole life and never had to deal with extra weight or eating disorders. But I had gotten into this mess from depression and anxiety from living in NY. The stress finally caught up with me and eating my emotions helped me gain 38 lbs and a totally fucked up gut. I'm happier now, less stressed, healthier, and will do anything it takes to keep it that way. If I never eat chocolate again, I'm okay with that, because health is wealth.

I've always been freakishly self-disciplined -- a trait I must have inherited from my father -- but you're right. It taught me a few things about my mind and body that I didn't understand before, mostly because I've been skinny my whole life and never had to deal with extra weight or eating disorders. But I had gotten into this mess from depression and anxiety from living in NY. The stress finally caught up with me and eating my emotions helped me gain 38 lbs and a totally fucked up gut. I'm happier now, less stressed, healthier, and will do anything it takes to keep it that way. If I never eat chocolate again, I'm okay with that, because health is wealth.

Last year, I decided to lose some weight. When we moved here I was probably 188 lbs and over the course of around seven years, I went up to 200 lbs. Nothing horrendous about the gain or the effect. I wear the weight fairly well. But I decided that I needed a self-discipline project—after finishing my diss, I was in need of some new structure—so I stopped eating as much and became more fanatical about exercise. Dropped fifteen pounds last summer and another five this summer. I can probably lose another five pounds before I start looking unhealthy skinny. Physically, tho, I'm in the best shape of my life. The main thing for me is that mental self-discipline to keep biking, sit-ups, and weights, and to watch what I eat (I eat crap, but not much).

I've always been freakishly self-disciplined -- a trait I must have inherited from my father -- but you're right. It taught me a few things about my mind and body that I didn't understand before, mostly because I've been skinny my whole life and never had to deal with extra weight or eating disorders. But I had gotten into this mess from depression and anxiety from living in NY. The stress finally caught up with me and eating my emotions helped me gain 38 lbs and a totally fucked up gut. I'm happier now, less stressed, healthier, and will do anything it takes to keep it that way. If I never eat chocolate again, I'm okay with that, because health is wealth.

Last year, I decided to lose some weight. When we moved here I was probably 188 lbs and over the course of around seven years, I went up to 200 lbs. Nothing horrendous about the gain or the effect. I wear the weight fairly well. But I decided that I needed a self-discipline project—after finishing my diss, I was in need of some new structure—so I stopped eating as much and became more fanatical about exercise. Dropped fifteen pounds last summer and another five this summer. I can probably lose another five pounds before I start looking unhealthy skinny. Physically, tho, I'm in the best shape of my life. The main thing for me is that mental self-discipline to keep biking, sit-ups, and weights, and to watch what I eat (I eat crap, but not much).

Good on you. Diet is 90% of it, so *shakes finger* eat right, young man. What really helped me is developing an attitude of: reach for a green vegetable first, organic if possible. Except today. Today I'm eating like shit.

Good on you. Diet is 90% of it, so *shakes finger* eat right, young man. What really helped me is developing an attitude of: reach for a green vegetable first, organic if possible. Except today. Today I'm eating like shit.

My problem is that I don't really like food. Or love it the way other people seem to. I have preferences, but I'm pretty ho-hum when you get right down to it. I could eat soup for a month straight without being bothered. My lunch is some yogurt. At least once a week I just have a grilled cheese sandwich for supper. It's simple, tastes okay, and it keeps alive until morning. My guess is that I have no passion for food because my mother was a horrible cook when I was a kid, so I was never all that eager for meals. Oh well, there are worse vices.

Good on you. Diet is 90% of it, so *shakes finger* eat right, young man. What really helped me is developing an attitude of: reach for a green vegetable first, organic if possible. Except today. Today I'm eating like shit.

My problem is that I don't really like food. Or love it the way other people seem to. I have preferences, but I'm pretty ho-hum when you get right down to it. I could eat soup for a month straight without being bothered. My lunch is some yogurt. At least once a week I just have a grilled cheese sandwich for supper. It's simple, tastes okay, and it keeps alive until morning. My guess is that I have no passion for food because my mother was a horrible cook when I was a kid, so I was never all that eager for meals. Oh well, there are worse vices.

My mom was a fairly drab cook as well—how do you explain my international tastes?

Good on you. Diet is 90% of it, so *shakes finger* eat right, young man. What really helped me is developing an attitude of: reach for a green vegetable first, organic if possible. Except today. Today I'm eating like shit.

My problem is that I don't really like food. Or love it the way other people seem to. I have preferences, but I'm pretty ho-hum when you get right down to it. I could eat soup for a month straight without being bothered. My lunch is some yogurt. At least once a week I just have a grilled cheese sandwich for supper. It's simple, tastes okay, and it keeps alive until morning. My guess is that I have no passion for food because my mother was a horrible cook when I was a kid, so I was never all that eager for meals. Oh well, there are worse vices.

My mom was a fairly drab cook as well—how do you explain my international tastes?

Same here with my mom but it had an opposite effect on me. I love to cook and am pretty good at it.